WATSONVILLE - A pilot who made an emergency landing in an apple orchard off Freedom Boulevard Sunday afternoon walked away without significant injury, sheriff's deputies said.

The downed plane was reported at 12:39 p.m. It landed about a half-mile north of Watsonville Municipal Airport off Freedom Boulevard between Airport Boulevard and Buena Vista Drive.

The pilot, who works for a local skydiving company, was on his way back from a skydiving trip when the 1956 Cessna 182 experienced a power surge and then complete engine failure about three miles from the airport, Sgt. Robin Mitchell said.

The pilot put the plane in a glide pattern and was able to clear some tall trees near Corralitos Creek to land in a safe spot, Mitchell said.

Some trees in the orchard were damaged, she said. But the property owner, a local firefighter, and emergency responders on scene were more focused on the pilot surviving the crash, Mitchell said.

"Everyone is just relieved that the pilot is OK," she said.

Deputies contacted the Federal Aviation Administration, which referred them to the National Transportation Safety Board, Mitchell said. That agency will work with the plane owner to see what caused the engine to fail, she said.

The pilot was experienced and appeared to be in his mid-40s, she said.

The plane, whose tail number is N55DN, is registered to Haag Volker of Freedom, according to FAA records. Volker is the owner of Skydive Surf City, which is based in Watsonville, according to the company's website.

A woman who answered the phone at Skydive Surf City on Sunday declined comment.